Disclaimers and disclosures. No cheating.

While VSL is not a frequent review site, from time to time I find products like cameras, lenses, lighting instruments and lighting modifiers, etc. that are interesting, fun, useful or practical and I write about them. I am not paid by any company to review or talk or write about their products. I don't receive free products in exchange for articles or reviews or buyer recommendations of products. In most cases the reviews are of products I've found, purchased with my own money, and have enjoyed enough, or found enough value in, to want to share the information with my readers. Some times, in a review, I will include a link to the product on Amazon.com.

The link contains an identifier for the Visual Science Lab site so if you click on the product link and go to Amazon and buy the product (or a different product(s)) during that visit, directly from the blog, I will get from Amazon, Inc. a small payment because of your purchase. The payment from Amazon to me does not affect the price you pay for any of the products you purchase from Amazon. If you were to go to Amazon.com directly instead of using the link in my site the price you pay for the product would be the same. If you use the link on this site when shopping at Amazon.com your purchase provides a micropayment that makes my work writing the site that much more enjoyable for me.

You are at no time required to make any purchases in order to read this blog! At any time that I do receive special consideration such as the extended loan of equipment, an invitation to a press event or product launch, or a platinum plated Leica as a gift to reward my splendid insights into the world of photography, I will notify my readers of the consideration, loan or platinum Leica in the first paragraph of the any blog post concerning (either directly or indirectly) that product.

We do not accept payment for reviewing or writing about our use of any product. We will clearly call out any client that attempts to have us change the results of our reviews or our observations about a product's shortcomings. Occasionally we get products from makers that are not good, or practical or useful and we send them back and decline to write about them.

There are some products I just don't like on philosophical grounds or because I think the product is just plain stupid. One particular line of camera straps comes to mind. If I think these products are counter productive or just a menace to my ideas of how photography should be I will write about them and make you, the reader aware of my feelings. In no situation has a competitor of the negatively reviewed or discussed product paid for the negative review or discussion, nor have they promised any incentive to do so. Sometimes you just have to call out dreck for being dreck.

I will continue to work with Amazon.com as they have proven themselves to be a good publisher of my novel and a good seller of my other books -- which I will shamelessly continue to plug as often as I think is possible. I will not use generic ads for products which I and my readers have no collective interest in.

I will accept anonymous donations of cold, hard cash from any and all sources as long as they expect nothing but interesting blogs to read in return. Please get in touch and I'll tell you where you can send your hard earned dollars. I promise not to waste them....too much.